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This post was not meant to be junket. I fully intended on a charming Charlotte Russe. But, somehow I got distracted in the “invalid cookery” section of a very old Irish secondary school cookbook and the rest was history.

I know….…sacrilege.

But, don’t go off the boil. Let’s give junket a chance. Maybe you’ve had it, maybe you’ve at least heard of it. Maybe you’re thinking what is she on about now? Up until this morning, I had never journeyed into the world of junket before. Thing is, junket is not new. It’s old enough to be a classic in these parts. Still, the jolly junket was lost on me. Despite being a particularly popular pudding here, junket evolved over the years and began to mean many things to many different countries and many different people. There is even a brand called Junket that features the very sweet “Little Miss Muffet Junket” which has been peddled in various parts of the world, including once upon a time in the USA. When I embarked on my junket research, I was astounded that I had never come across it before. Now, I gotta say, I’m jousting for junket.

Junket is similar to panna cotta, except it is essentially cheese. Could there be a better combination? I would consider it a mildly sweet, silky, soft, cheese pudding. It floats and lingers on your tongue until you can’t resist squishing it up against the roof of your mouth before it slips into swallowville. The texture alone makes it tempting, but the sweet milky flavour is sheer comfort by the spoonful.

Junket is just fine prepared plain with just a sprinkle of nutmeg on top.

But, if you add a drop of booze to the mix, you shall be eternally grateful.

And, if you jazz it up with juniper berries and vanilla bean, I promise you’ll be a lifelong devotee {especially if you fancy the odd G&T’}

The only stone left unturned? Why is junket confined to the “invalid” section of the cookbook?

Gently warm the milk until the sugar dissolves. Steep the juniper berries and vanilla bean seeds in the milk for one hour. Gently reheat the milk until it reaches blood temperature (only takes a couple minutes. if you heat the milk too much the rennet won’t set). Strain berries from milk, gently stir in the rennet, and immediately pour into serving glasses or a large glass dish. If preferred, sprinkle nutmeg over the top. Let rest to set for 1.5 hours to set, and either eat at room temperature or place in the fridge overnight for a chilled treat.

22 Responses to “Juniper Junket”

You refer that the difference between Junket and Panna Cotta is that Junket is cheese based and Panna Cotta milk based. That is incorrect. Both are milk deserts. The difference lies in the solidifier. Junket is made with Rennet which is an enzyme derived from the gut of a young calf. Panna Cotta is Gelatin made from boiling bones of cows. Junket has been a food source for many centuries, where Panna Cotta is more recent, and probably is a modified version of Junket.

I’ve never even heard of junket before! (I know: what rock…?) But you had me at juniper berries. Panna cotta is a favorite of mine, so quick and easy and endlessly adaptable. But I can’t wait to try this! Now to find rennet in France (the irony!)… And so happy to have found your beautiful blog 🙂

I always associated “junket” with 1950s americana. In the states I think it was a brand like “jell-o” and I read once that Marilyn Monroe was on a steady diet of junket. I always thouht of it as flavor-it-yourself type of gelatine like knox and had no idea it was a real dessert! Gorgeous photos!! Xx Son

Junket has always been a fascination to me since I had it once when I was very little – your description of it is perfect – it is almost mystical and I love that it can’t be moved until set adding to that mystery – alas I am now a vegetarian and no longer eat rennet but I am still wistful for junket. I have found though that with careful preparation you can achieve similar results with agar agar. Thanks for this lovely post – the addition of juniper berries is a stoke of genius.

What a dashing and handsome young farmer! I have never tried junket, despite having been captivated by the thought of it years ago in the What Katy Did books. It always seemed the stuff of fiction, so thank you for bringing it to reality for me with a recipe.

Imen, what a fantastic & unique recipe. I imagine it tastes so scrumptious made with your fresh from the farm milk. I do fancy a G&T (a little more often than the odd time, I must admit!), so this is being bookmarked tout suite!